Grizzly 399 just doesn’t seem to be following her typical behavior for this time of year as she leads her four offspring farther and farther away from Grand Teton National Park.
Residents in Hoback Junction report the five bears have been seen foraging for food between there and Camp Creek farther south. US Fish and Wildlife Service Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator Hilary Cooley continues to track the bears’ movements and says determining the right response is becoming more complicated.
Cooley said, “As she changes her behavior, what we’re doing now, is that still the best way to handle it? Do we need to consider something else, including relocation? That’s something that we might do at some point, but it is complicated because there’s five bears there; and there’s not a great place to put them. Grand Teton is pretty close by, and if she’s real tied to a food source close to The Park, she could be back down there pretty quick.”
Cooley says efforts are still being made to haze the bears away from food sources in populated areas. The sources they have been trying to access have included crab apples, garbage, livestock feed and beehives. Again, residents are being urged to make every effort to assure such food sources are not available to the bears.
